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Hi singers!
My name is Justin Stoney
and I'm the founder of New York Vocal Coaching
here in New York City.
Welcome to episode 99 of
Voice Lessons To The World.
One episode away from episode one hundred.
This is the show where we want
to answer your questions from all over the world.
If you remember last week, we had a question from Nhan C.
Nhan wrote, "Dear Justin, I love your episodes but
I'm just starting off as a beginning singer.
Could you do an episode on where to begin?"
And, yes, Nhan yes we did.
If you can remember, last time we explored
belief, breathing, physical freedom,
the larynx, chest voice, and head voice.
Today let's begin by learning to control the vocal folds themselves
with step seven out of twelve.
Understanding vocal compression.
Did you know that you can control the vocal folds themselves?
That's right, you can.
They are inside the larynx and they're very small.
Very, very small.
Pinkie nail sized.
But they have their own muscular control.
They can control their length, their strength, their tightness,
and their looseness.
Compressed vocal cords
are too tight. [ With compression ]
Decompressed vocal folds
are too loose. [ With decompression ]
But balanced vocal folds are just right.
So, say it for me,
say "too tight", [ With compression ]
too loose, [ With decompression ]
and just right.
Great!
You've already experienced control over your vocal folds.
Easy as that.
Later we're gonna do a vocal exercise
for your mix voice.
And when we do that, know that your vocal folds
need to be responsible for their own destiny.
If they're too tight, loosen them up.
If they're too loose, give them some solid.
You can always make this conscious adjustment to your voice.
But you also need to make adjustments to
your nasal resonance.
And, that's step eight.
Incorporating nasal resonance.
Many singers are afraid to sound nasal.
But they failed to realize that there's
good nasal and bad nasal.
Bad nasal is things like a tight, squeezed larynx,
too much twang and a spread mouth.
It's actually not really nasal at all.
It's just very bright.
Good nasal is the sound resonating subtly
in the nasal cavity and the front of the face.
It's very easy to find nasal resonance by
singing an M, N, or NG sound.
If you're looking for great warmups,
these are good sounds to warm your voice up with.
But we're gonna incorporate them into our next exercise
so that they're guaranteed to be there.
Now you don't need to fear sounding nasal.
You don't need to worry about that.
But, know that the nasal resonance
and the sensations at the front of your face,
those are good things.
Why?
Because they take the pressure off of the voice,
they help the vocal folds to lengthen,
they make your high notes easier,
and they help to blend the vocal registers like
chest voice and head voice together.
So, the time has come.
Let's explore all of these things in the mix voice.
The mix voice is like the holy grail of technique.
It's that blend of strength and flexibility.
High notes that sound strong,
low and middle notes that have lightness and grace to them.
Our most healthy and most admirable singing
is usually done within the context of mix.
So as we do this mix exercise it's your chance to put together
all the steps that we've discussed.
Your breath deep in the belly and in the ribcage.
Physical freedom to the neck, the jaw,
the tongue, and the upper body.
Your larynx not rising too much for the upper notes,
your registers don't push hard, like chest voice
and don't get too light, like head voice.
Your compression not too tight and not too loose.
And your resonance.
Don't be afraid to let the sound resonate toward the front.
And here's our mix exercise with
GIHN - NIHN - NIHN.
It goes like this-
♪ GIHN - NIHN - NIHN - NIHN ♪
We're gonna start with the guys
and then we're gonna bring in the ladies.
Here we go!
♪ GIHN - NIHN - NIHN - NIHN ♪
Nice.
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Mhm!
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♪ GIHN - NIHN - NIHN - NIHN ♪
Good, now bring in the ladies.
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That's right.
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If it gets too high for the guys,
flip to falsetto.
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Beautiful.
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♪ GIHN - NIHN - NIHN - NIHN ♪
Nice.
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Excellent.
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Two more.
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And last.
♪ GIHN - NIHN - NIHN - NIHN ♪
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Beautiful mix work.
So now that you felt that, let's put all of these
laborers together into some song work.
Step ten, try a simple song.
For beginners, it's important that we
don't sing a song that's too hard.
Start with something simple.
Something to incorporate all the steps that we've talked about.
But whatever you pick, make sure it's something
that's from the heart.
Something that you can really connect to.
Choose simplicity.
This will give you the chance to speak,
and sing honestly from the heart.
What I want you to do is think about what
song you would choose.
It's not about making impressive sounds or pleasing sounds even.
It's just about expressing music, words,
and a story of a song that you love.
Later on as your technique improves
you can pick a more difficult song.
But first, choose something that you just love.
And especially, that you can succeed at,
feel good about,
something that builds your confidence.
Then, once you've found that song,
it's time for step eleven.
Create your practice plan.
The more you practice the better you're going to do.
This being said, it's not about quantity.
It's about quality and consistency.
Instead of practicing two hours once or twice a week
try practicing six days a week for short intervals.
The more actual days you're singing, the better.
Even if it's for short 10 or 20 minute bursts,
that would be great.
My recommendation is to balance your
vocal technique and the songs.
Don't neglect the great exercises
that help you focus on your technique.
But don't neglect singing the songs
that you love and inspire you.
This balance of focused technique work and song work
just won't let you down.
Consider those some accountability strategies.
Keep a practice journal,
record your practices,
listen back to them.
Maybe try practicing with a friend who supports your vocal journey.
Which leads us to our final step.
Step twelve, share your vocal journey.
Since the beginning of Voice Lessons To The World
you know I've always said there's no substitute for
finding a private voice teacher.
Find somebody that you really trust,
if you can.
But, I did create this show for those of you that
can't find a voice teacher.
Or maybe you can't afford a voice teacher.
So if you can't share the journey with a teacher,
share the journey with a friend or a family member.
Find the most supportive person you know.
Tell them about your decision to sing.
The people that love you the most
will love your voice and your singing the most
even when it's not perfect.
Actually, especially when it's not perfect.
After all, singing isn't about being perfect.
It's about making a joyful noise.
In fact, singing happens to be the
last thing that's about being perfect.
Most of our admired singers in the world
are very, very imperfect in lots of ways.
But we don't love singers because they're perfect.
We love them because of their courage.
Their courage to speak their truth through song.
You also have this courage.
I see it in you.
So, find at least one person
that sees in you what I see in you.
And, sing...
With everything inside your soul.
Tell them about your practicing.
Tell them about your progress.
Tell them about your frustrations.
Tell them about your goals.
Whether it's a teacher, a friend, a family member,
a stuffed animal, or a Maine Coon.
[ Meow ]
They love you.
And they love that you're expressing yourself through song.
I also love you and I'm so proud of you.
I'm so thankful that you've shared this journey with me
for 99 episodes.
So please tell me about your victories,
tell me about the problems that you're facing,
and any of the questions that you have
you can send an email to
Questions@VoiceLessonsToTheWorld.com.
So remember, don't lose that joy. [♪]
Don't lose that passion. [♪]
Don't let people tell you that you can't sing. [♪]
You and I both know, that's not true. [♪]
Get with a great voice teacher near you [♪]
or if you're in the New York area [♪]
or you'd like to study with us on Skype [♪]
you can visit us at NewYorkVocalCoaching.com. [♪]
If you'd like a vocal course [♪]
you can do in the comfort of your own home [♪]
check out the [♪]
Voice Lessons To The World Vocal Course. [♪]
A twelve part course that takes you on a singing journey [♪]
beginner to master level vocal exercises. [♪]
You can find it at [♪]
VoiceLessonsToTheWorld.com. [♪]
If you'd like free daily vocal tips [♪]
sent to your inbox each day, [♪]
sign up at DailyVocalTips.com. [♪]
I'm Justin Stoney. [♪]
Next time, episode 100! [♪]
But until then... [♪]
Make a joyful noise. [♪]
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